Chocolate Guiniess Cupcakes with Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting

It seems that the Chocolate/Stout/Irish Cream combo is pretty popular in baked goods this time of year. Adding rich foamy Guiniess to chocolate cake batter adds such an amazing flavor and I don’t think I need to sell you on Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting right? I did my best to make this frosting as boozy and Irish Cream-y as possible in honor of my heritage, (I’m a quarter Irish you know!) The end result is a light and fluffy chocolate cake with a hint of rich stout- the frosting is creamy and smooth with just a little bite. In short- a festive bit of cupcake heaven.

One of the reasons I think the texture of these was so perfect is because I didn’t use an electric mixer. After reading through the recipe I realized you really didn’t need one so I did the whole thing with a whisk. In my opinion, mixing by hand can help avoid over-beating the batter which can lead to dry and dense cakes. With a whisk, you are able to just mix the ingredients until they are incorporated which results in a perfect soft and crumbly texture.

The cream cheese frosting is the perfect consistency to practice the frosting swirl I demonstrated a couple weeks ago! With the cute little swirled center, you have a perfect spot for housing a variety of toppings. Festive sprinkles would be adorable, but I chose to use some cake crumbs from a cupcake in the batch that was a little busted looking. Didn’t see the video on how to make the “swirl”? Check it out here.

Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line pans with paper liners. Combine the stout and butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the cocoa powder and whisk until mixture is smooth. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

In a medium sized bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt, and whisk together. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and sour cream until creamy. Add the stout-butter mixture and mix just to combine. Mix in the dry ingredients slowly whisking until just until incorporated.

Divide the batter evenly between the cupcake liners, filling them about ¾ full. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 minutes. Allow to cool in the pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

For Bailey's Cream Cheese Frosting:

Combine the cream cheese and butter in a large mixing bowl and beat until creamy. Gradually add the powdered sugar until well mixed. Add in the Bailey's a tablespoon at a time until the texture is smooth, creamy, and spreadable. Frost as desired. Decorate with cake crumbs or sprinkles.

How funny that we posted such similar recipes today! These cupcakes look fabulous, Audra, and your way of describing them made me absolutely drool! Delicious recipe and a fun, festive way to ring in St. Pat’s Day!

Stout Chocolate Cupcakes make an appearance every St Patrick’s Day. I was sort of dreading their return until I realized I wasn’t limited to the ubiquitous Guinness…Ross brewed a wonderful Dark Cherry Stout that would probably be marvelous in a chocolate cake base! The cherry accent may not work with the Bailey’s frosting, but you never know. Maybe a whiskey or bourbon frosting instead…

Hi Audra have just woken up, opened Foodbuzz. Your cup cakes sound perfect..I shall make them for St Paddys Day. There is a bottle of guiness sitting on my bench. I am going to get up and back. Great fun.Have to go and buy some baileys to complete the cakes. Oh well a trip to the wine shop. They open at 9. Our staff will love me. Thanks for your post

Making these right now. The batter tastes amazing! Only problem is that the recipe says “yields 12” so I tripled it… but I’m getting about 72 cupcakes out if it!?!?
I mean, not a terrible problem to have but ahhhhhh! I’m surrounded by cupcakes! My waistline can’t handle it!

[…] macarons aren’t your thing then consider Audra's (otherwise known as the Baker Chick), Bailey’s Guinness Cupcake recipe! She shares her special recipe on how she creates her chocolate Guinness cupcakes using her special […]

[…] Bake Chick knows just how to warm you up this winter. Her Chocolate Guiniess Cupcakes with Bailey’s Cream Cheese Frosting combine a rich stout cake with a velvety infused frosting. This sweet treat is perfect for any […]